Fruit-grader.



.l. McGAFFlCK.

mun GRADER. APPLICATION FILED DEC.4, 1914' Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

JOHN MGGAFFICK, 0F ALBION, NEW YORK.

FRUIT-GRADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed December 4, 1914. Serial No. 875,421.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, JOHN MOGAFFIGK,

' residing at and whose post-office address is 18 Ilatt, street of the city of Albion, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Graders; and I do hereby declare the following to. be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

The object of my invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in fruit graders primarily adapted for grading apples, peaches and oranges.

It is a legal, requirement in the State of New York that apples placed on sale be graded and marked. It is'essential to the successful accomplishment of thisgrading that the fruit be not agitated to such an extent as to bruise it. Consequently the comrnon types of separators, available for use in grading other commodities and in which the sieves are agitated, are notadapted to the grading of the fruit mentioned. p

In the accompanying drawing," I have shown in Figure l a perspective view of a fruit grader v embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the shelves.

As illustrated, the grader comprises three separating elements shown in the form of shelves 1, 2 and? These are superposed and each is arranged in a slanting position and in such relative communication that the fruit will pass through them successively,

mainly by force of gravity with such addi-,

tional manipulation as may be necessary, but without requiring agitation.

I have shown the shelf 1 provided with a series of beads or ribs 4c tending to form channels and preferably of rounded contour to avoid sharp edges that might tend to bruise the fruit. At the upper end of this shelf and within the respective channels, I provide a series of perforations 5 ofthe desired size to elfect' the first separation. These perforations are relatively large but not sufiiciently so to permit the largest apples or other fruit to pass throughthem. They do, however, permit the smaller sizes to pass through. The largest fruit passes out of the open end 6 of the shelf into a suitable receptacle.

The smaller fruit drops through the perforations 5 onto shelf 2. To provide against bruising the fruit at this step, I provide shelf 2 with a suitable cushion shown in the form of a strip of canvas arranged transversely of the shelf and beneath the perforations 5. The shelf 2 is preferably arranged transversely of shelf 1 so that a receptacle may be arranged beneath its open end to receive the second grade of fruit which is too large to pass through the perforations 5. The shelf 3 is: shown hinged to shelf 2 so that it may bedisposed at any desired angle. I have shown this as provided with a series of longitudinal slats 8 having rounded contact surfaces over which the third, grade fruit may pass to a receptacle while permitting the elfective elimination of any small particles, stones, etc., that may have been carried along with the fruit.

I claim as my invention 1. In a fruit grader, a plurality of superposed inclined shelves adapted to be rigidly supported, each of said shelves having per- 'forations affording communication with the succeeding. shelf and a cushion below the perforations of the first shelf.

2. In a fruit grader, the combination with a shelf adapted to separate fruit of relatively large. size, a second subjacent shelf having a cushion and adapted to receive the second sizes of frult, said. second shelf being provided with perforations, and a third shelfhinged to said second shelf and proing witnesses.

JOHN McGAFFIGK.

Witnesses:

A. B. Boo'rH, Lorenzo Bunnows.

Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each," by addressing the Commissioner-oi Patents,

. Washington, D. 0.

fvided with a plurality of slats having 

